Thursday, 28 December 2017

An employee with Premier Tobacco Auction Floors has been charged with fraud after she allegedly hacked into the banking system of a local financial institution from which she spirited nearly $10 000. Lizzie Kandengwa, 40, was released on $50 bail when she appeared before Harare magistrate Josephine Sande charged with fraud. As part of bail conditions, Kandengwa was ordered to continue residing at her present address and not interfere with witnesses and investigations until the case is finalised. She was remanded to January 24 next year. The complainant is a local financial institution. Prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that on November 21, this year Kandengwa connived with Stanley Mariko, Melody Basera, Hardlife Kafiramani, Tendai Chikumbirike, Erisha Kaitano and Tendai Meki and hatched a plan to defraud the bank by manipulating tobacco farmers’ accounts. The court heard that Kandengwa then contacted Eustinah Chivige, a farmer from Headlands, and asked to use her bank account on the pretext that she wanted to receive money from a cousin. At that stage Chivige’s bank account with the complainant had no money and she agreed to supply her bank details and mobile number. It was alleged that Kandengwa and her accomplices then transferred $4 910 into Chivige’s account using the Zipit platform. The court was told that Kandengwa then logged into the bank’s system using Chivige’s mobile number and another for Loveness Munzara. It was alleged that using fraudulent means Kandengwa linked the two mobile numbers to the bank account. She went on to use Chivige’s phone number and reversed the $4 910 transaction sending the amount into one of her accomplices Basera’s bank account, it was further alleged. The court heard that Munzara immediately made another reversal of the $4 910 before the complainant had captured the first transaction. It was further alleged that on November 27, Mariko misrepresented to another farmer Lameck Mukuwaza that Premier Tobacco was offering loans to tobacco farmers. Mukuwaza wanted a loan and supplied his banking details and mobile number which is linked to the bank. His account had no money and Mariko transferred $4 990 using Zipit but later reversed the transaction and offered to give the farmer cash. Using the same modus operandi Kandengwa made a reversal of the $4 990 transfer to Kafiramani’s bank account while Munzara immediately moved the same amount before the complainant had picked the anomaly. Mukuwaza’s bank account was subsequently overdrawn by $4 990. The State alleges the complainant lost $9 890. Daily News